Research progress on chemical constituents and pharmacological effects of Ajania plants / 中国中药杂志

Ajania belonging to the subtribe Artemisiinae of Anthemideae(Asteraceae) is a genus of semi-shrubs closely related to Chrysanthemum. There are 24 species of Ajania in northwestern China, most of which are folk herbal medicines with strong stress tolerance. Modern medical studies have demonstrated that the chemical constituents of Ajania mainly include terpenoids, flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, alkynes, and essential oils. These compounds endow the plants with antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antimalarial, antioxidant, and insecticide effects. In this study, we reviewed the research progress in the chemical constituents and pharmacological activities of Ajania, aiming to provide reference for the further research and development of Ajania.

Association between smoking status and mortality risk among elderly people aged 60 and above in Beijing City / 中华预防医学杂志

Objective: To examine the association between smoking status and related mortality among elderly people aged 60 and above in urban and rural areas of Beijing City. Methods: Based on Beijing City Elderly Comprehensive Health Cohort Study from 2009 to 2014, a total of 4 499 eligible older adults included in the baseline survey were followed up and investigated to collect information on survival and death. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and the dose-response relationship was estimated between the smoking index, the years of quitting and mortality. Results: The median (IQR) age of 4 499 subjects was 70.00 (10.00) years old, including 1 814 (40.32%) males. The proportion of non-smokers, former smokers and current smokers was 69.50% (3 127/4 499), 13.20% (594/4 499) and 17.30% (778/4 499), respectively. After adjusting for confounding factors such as demographic and sociological characteristics, lifestyle, etc., the results of multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that, compared to non-smokers, former smokers had a 30.6% increased risk of all-cause mortality [HR (95%CI): 1.306 (1.043-1.636)] and the HR (95%CI) of all-cause, malignant tumor and lung cancer mortality among current smokers has increased by 50.0% [HR (95%CI): 1.500 (1.199-1.877)], 80.3% [HR (95%CI): 1.803 (1.226-2.652)] and 212.6% [HR (95%CI): 3.126 (1.626-6.012)], respectively. The smoking index was positively associated with the increased risk of all-cause, malignant tumor and lung cancer mortality, while the years of smoking cessation were negatively associated with that risk (P<0.05). Conclusion: Smoking is associated with tobacco-related mortality among elderly people in Beijing City.

Association between smoking status and mortality risk among elderly people aged 60 and above in Beijing City / 中华预防医学杂志

Objective: To examine the association between smoking status and related mortality among elderly people aged 60 and above in urban and rural areas of Beijing City. Methods: Based on Beijing City Elderly Comprehensive Health Cohort Study from 2009 to 2014, a total of 4 499 eligible older adults included in the baseline survey were followed up and investigated to collect information on survival and death. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and the dose-response relationship was estimated between the smoking index, the years of quitting and mortality. Results: The median (IQR) age of 4 499 subjects was 70.00 (10.00) years old, including 1 814 (40.32%) males. The proportion of non-smokers, former smokers and current smokers was 69.50% (3 127/4 499), 13.20% (594/4 499) and 17.30% (778/4 499), respectively. After adjusting for confounding factors such as demographic and sociological characteristics, lifestyle, etc., the results of multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that, compared to non-smokers, former smokers had a 30.6% increased risk of all-cause mortality [HR (95%CI): 1.306 (1.043-1.636)] and the HR (95%CI) of all-cause, malignant tumor and lung cancer mortality among current smokers has increased by 50.0% [HR (95%CI): 1.500 (1.199-1.877)], 80.3% [HR (95%CI): 1.803 (1.226-2.652)] and 212.6% [HR (95%CI): 3.126 (1.626-6.012)], respectively. The smoking index was positively associated with the increased risk of all-cause, malignant tumor and lung cancer mortality, while the years of smoking cessation were negatively associated with that risk (P<0.05). Conclusion: Smoking is associated with tobacco-related mortality among elderly people in Beijing City.

Effect of proximal fibula osteotomy on tension of lateral knee soft tissue in patients with knee osteoarthritis / 中国骨伤

OBJECTIVE@#To evaluate the short-term efficacy of proximal fibula osteotomy in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis, and to analyze the effect of osteotomy on the tension of the lateral knee soft tissue of patients and verify the reliability of the Arch string theory.@*METHODS@#A total of 71 patients with varus knee osteoarthritis from December 2019 to March 2022 were included, 3 patients dropped out, and 68 patients completed all trials, collected 27 males and 41 females, aged from 51 to 79 years old, with an average of (68.0±7.0 ) years old. The follow-up time ranged from 4 to 12 weeks, with an average of (3.76±1.94) weeks. After admission, the patient underwent Proximal fibula osteotomy, and the tension of lateral knee soft tissue, visual analogue scale (VAS) of pain, the western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and other indicators were recorded before surgery and 1 month after surgery in the weight-bearing state.@*RESULTS@#According to the VAS, the curative effect of a single index was evaluated by referring to the score before and after treatment by Bao Zongzhao. Thirty seven cases were markedly effective, 27 cases were effective, and 4 cases were ineffective. After surgery, 3 patients presented with weakness of dorsalis pedis extension and 1 presented with paresthesia of dorsalis pedis, which disappeared after symptomatic treatment . The VAS and WOMAC score at 1 month after operation were lower than those before operation, and the differences were statistically significant(P<0.001). The tension of lateral knee soft tissue 1 month after operation was lower than that before operation, and the difference had statistical significance(P<0.001).@*CONCLUSION@#Proximal fibula osteotomy is safe and effective in the treatment of varus knee osteoarthritis in the short term. One month after osteotomy, the tension of lateral knee soft tissue increases under weight-bearing state, but the long-term changes still need further observation and follow-up.

Long Noncoding RNA PVT1 Promotes Stemness and Temozolomide Resistance through miR-365/ELF4/SOX2 Axis in Glioma

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) are a class of non-coding RNAs demonstrated to play pivotal roles in regulating tumor progression. Therefore, deciphering the regulatory role of lncRNA in the development of glioma may offer a promising therapeutic target for treatment of glioma. We performed RT-qPCR analysis on the expression of lncRNA plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (PVT1) and miR-365 in glioma tissues and cell lines. Cell proliferation and viability was assessed with CCK8 assay. Cell migration was assessed by wound healing assay. Transwell assay was used to assess cell invasion capacity. Expression of CD133+ cells was detected by flow cytometry. Western blot assay was used to detection the expression of ELF4 and stemness-related protein SOX2, Oct4 and Nanog. Bioinformatics and dual-luciferase assay were used to predict and validate the interaction between PVT1 and miR-365. Elevated PVT1 expression was observed in glioma tissues and cells. Knockdown of PVT1 and overexpression of miR-365 inhibited proliferation, migration, invasion and promoted stemness and Temozolomide (TMZ) resistance of glioma cells. PVT1 regulated ELF4 expression by competitively binds to miR-365. PVT1 regulated the stemness and sensitivity of TMZ of glioma cells through miR-365/ELF4/ SOX2 axis. This study identified that PVT1 promoted glioma stemness through miR-365/ELF4/SOX2 axis.

Long Noncoding RNA PVT1 Promotes Stemness and Temozolomide Resistance through miR-365/ELF4/SOX2 Axis in Glioma

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) are a class of non-coding RNAs demonstrated to play pivotal roles in regulating tumor progression. Therefore, deciphering the regulatory role of lncRNA in the development of glioma may offer a promising therapeutic target for treatment of glioma. We performed RT-qPCR analysis on the expression of lncRNA plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (PVT1) and miR-365 in glioma tissues and cell lines. Cell proliferation and viability was assessed with CCK8 assay. Cell migration was assessed by wound healing assay. Transwell assay was used to assess cell invasion capacity. Expression of CD133+ cells was detected by flow cytometry. Western blot assay was used to detection the expression of ELF4 and stemness-related protein SOX2, Oct4 and Nanog. Bioinformatics and dual-luciferase assay were used to predict and validate the interaction between PVT1 and miR-365. Elevated PVT1 expression was observed in glioma tissues and cells. Knockdown of PVT1 and overexpression of miR-365 inhibited proliferation, migration, invasion and promoted stemness and Temozolomide (TMZ) resistance of glioma cells. PVT1 regulated ELF4 expression by competitively binds to miR-365. PVT1 regulated the stemness and sensitivity of TMZ of glioma cells through miR-365/ELF4/ SOX2 axis. This study identified that PVT1 promoted glioma stemness through miR-365/ELF4/SOX2 axis.

Comparison of active ingredients and protective effects of Dendrobium huoshanense of different growth years on acute liver injury / 中国中药杂志

The differences of the active ingredients in Dendrobium huoshanense of different growth years and their protective effects on acute liver injury were studied to provide evidence for optimizing harvest time. The contents of polysaccharides, total flavonoids and total alkaloids in D. huoshanense of different growth years were determined by UV spectrophotometry, and the contents of gigantol in D. huoshanense were determined by HPLC. C57 BL/6 mice were randomly divided into blank control group(saline), modeling group(saline), high-dose(7.5 g·kg~(-1)) and low-dose(1.25 g·kg~(-1)) groups of D. huoshanense of different growth years. Each group was intragastrically administered every day for 2 weeks. 500 mg·kg~(-1) paracetamol was injected intraperitoneally 2 h after last treatment except the control group. After 12 hours, the serum and liver tissues were collected to detect the activities of ALT and AST, and the levels of SOD and MDA. The hepatic histopathological examination was performed. The results showed that the chemical constituents of D. huo-shanense of different growth years were significantly different(P<0.05). The contents of polysaccharide and gigantol of D. huoshanense of 2 growth years were the highest. The contents of flavonoids and alkaloids of D. huoshanense of 3 growth years were the hig-hest, followed by the D. huoshanense of 2 growth years, and the lowest were that of 1 growth year. Compared with the modeling group, D. huoshanense of different growth years could decrease the activities of ALT and AST in serum. Meanwhile, the levels of MDA reduced significantly, while those of SOD increased markedly. Histopathological results suggested that all D. huoshanense samples were effective in the reduction of the necrosis of hepatocytes in different degrees. The results of the multi-component SPSS paired tests showed that polysaccharide and gigantol probably played a leading role in the liver protection effects, while D. huoshanense of 2 growth years showed the best efficacy. The optimal harvesting time of D. huoshanense is 2 growth years.

Establishment of Antibody-induced Immune Hemolytic Disease Model in SD Rats and Their Pathotogical Changes / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To establish the model of antibody-induced immune hemolytic disease in SD rats so as to provide an experimental platform for the exploration of its pathogenesis, course of disease and evaluation of drug efficacy.@*METHODS@#The red blood cells(RBC) of SD rats were isolated and intraperitoneally injected into BALB/c mice to induce production of the antiserum to SD rat RBC. Twenty SD rats were randomly divided into 2 groups. The rats in the model group were injected with 0.1 ml antiserum via tail vein; the rats in the control group were injected with 0.1 ml saline via tail vein.The symptoms of rats, hemolysis-related indexes and histopathological changes of the main organs were observed in both groups after injection.@*RESULTS@#After the injection of antiserum, the SD rats in the model group displayed nasal flaring, laziness, decrease of ingestion and water intake, skin and mucosal jaundice, and gross hemoglobinuria. At the 4th day after the injection, the body weight of SD rats in the model group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P＜0.01), and the coefficiens of liver and spleen increased significantly (P＜0.01); The levels of WBC, MCV, MCH, DBIL, DBIL/TBIL and FHb all increased statistically significantly, and RBC, Hb, HCT, MCHC and Plt levels decreased significantly in comparison with the control group (P＜0.01). In the SD rats of model group, the hemolytic pathological changes were observed in liver, spleen, kidney, lung and small intestine, and erythroid proliferation was observed in bone marrow smears.@*CONCLUSION@#The immune hemolytic disease model of SD rats can be successfully established by injecting the serum aginst SD rat red blood cells into the tail vein of SD rats, showing the high success rate, good reproducibility and low cost.

Direct and Indirect Methods of High-frequency Ultrasound in Imaging Distal Biceps Brachii Tendon / 中国医学科学院学报

Objective To explore convenient and effective ultrasound scanning methods and skills for imaging the distal biceps tendon.Methods Totally 80 distal biceps tendons of 40 healthy volunteers were scanned and evaluated with high-frequency ultrasound using the direct and the indirect methods. The scanning time and the subjective comfort scores of each subject were recorded. The imaging clarity of the tendon and its insertion onto the radial tuberosity was evaluated.Results The scanning time of the indirect method was shorter than that of the direct method in all volunteers,male volunteers,and female volunteers,although the differences were not statistically significant(all P> 0.05). The mean scanning time was longer on the left side than on the right side regardless of the scanning method (all P> 0.05). The scanning time in women was significantly shorter than in men when the scan was performed by using indirect method on the left side (t=-2.33,P=0.025),direct method on the right side (t=-3.35,P=0.002),or indirect method on the right side (t=-2.67,P=0.011). However,the scanning time was not significantly different between women and men when using the direct method on the left side (t=-1.27,P=0.213). The subjective comfort score was not significantly different between direct and indirect methods in each group (all P>0.05). However,the subjective comfort score was higher on the right side than on the left side regardless of the methods used. In particular,the subjective comfort scores showed significant difference when using the direct method in all subjects (t=2.32,P=0.026),the indirect method in all subjects (t=3.08,P=0.004),and indirect method in females (t=2.52,P=0.021). The overall subjective comfort score of females was higher than that of males,and the difference was statistically significant when the direct method was used on the right side (t=2.33,P=0.025),although no significant difference was observed for the indirect method on the right side (t=2.00,P=0.053),direct method on the left side (t=0.34,P=0.739),and indirect method on the left side (t=-0.15,P=0.884). The clarity rates of the indirect method for the insertions were 100.0% and 95.0%,which were significantly higher than those of the direct method(right side:100.0% vs. 85.0%,P=0.026;left side:95.0% vs.60.0%,P=0.000). The clarity rates of the main trunk of the tendon showed no significant difference between direct and indirect methods on both sides (right side:100.0% vs.95.0%,P=0.494;left side:92.5% vs.87.5%,P=0.712).Conclusions When high-frequency ultrasound is applied for scanning the distal biceps tendon,the scanning time and the subjective comfort are similar when either the direct method or the indirect method is used. The indirect method has higher clarity in imaging the insertion and may be used as the preferred scanning method,whereas the direct method may serve as a supplementary method.

Clinical Efficacy of Shensuyin in Treating Adult Viral Myocarditis with Syndrome of Insufficiency of Lung-Qi / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of Shensuyin in treating viralmyocarditis (VMC) with syndrome of insufficiency of lung-qi and the effect on levels of Th17 and Treg cells and relevant factors. Method: One hundred-four VMC cases were regaded as object of study and randomly divided into control group and observation group, with 52 cases in each group. Control group was treated with routine therapy by reference to ‘Chinese Guidelines for Diagnosis and Treatment of Heart Failure 2014’. In addition to the therapy of control group, observation group on the basis of treatment in the control group with Shensuyin, 1 dose/d, bid. One course of treatment was 8 weeks for both groups. Scores of Shensuyin, serum levels of Troponin I (cTnI) and cardiac free fatty acid binding protein (H-FABP), heart function and total efficacy were compared for both groups. Flow cytometry was used to detect peripheral blood levels of Th17 and Treg cells for the two groups. Serum levels of interleukin (IL) -17, IL-21, IL-10 were detected in both groups. Result: After treatment, scores of syndrome of Yin and Yang deficiency (shortness of breath, fatigue, dull chest pain, bad breath, cough) of observation group were obviously lower than those of control group (PPPPPConclusion: In addition to the routine therapy of VMC, the efficacy of Shensuyin has a significant effect in treating VMC with syndrome of lung qi deficiency, and the regulatory effect on levels of Th17 and Treg cells and relevant factors may be one of the effective ways.

Retraction notice to "Radiation-enhanced hepatocyte growth factor secretion in malignant glioma cell lines" [Surgical Neurology 68 (2007) 613-614].

This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (https://www.elsevier.com/about/our-business/policies/article-withdrawal). This article has been retracted at the request of the Editor-in-Chief. The authors have plagiarized part of a paper that had already appeared in Journal of Neuro-Oncology 74 (2005) 99-103 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11060-004-4204-7. One of the conditions of submission of a paper for publication is that authors declare explicitly that their work is original and has not appeared in a publication elsewhere. Re-use of any data should be appropriately cited. As such this article represents a severe abuse of the scientific publishing system. The scientific community takes a very strong view on this matter and apologies are offered to readers of the journal that this was not detected during the submission process.

Jiangtang Xiaozhi Recipe () prevents diabetic retinopathy in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the prevention effect of diabetic retinopathy of Jiangtang Xiaozhi Recipe (, JXR) in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into normal control group and diabetic group. Rats in the diabetic group were induced by intraperitoneal administration of STZ (50 mg/kg), and subdivided into 5 groups. Rats in the diabetic control group were given saline; four treatment groups were given metformin (300 mg/kg), JXR (2, 4 and 8 g/kg) respectively for 8 weeks, while rats in the normal control group were injected with citrate buffer and given the same volume of vehicle. Body weight and food intake were measured every week. The hypoglycaemic effects were determined by testing fasting blood glucose (FBG) every other week, and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), insulin, and glucagon at the end of the treatment. The preventive effects of JXR on STZ-induced diabetic rats were determined by histopathological examination with hematoxylin and eosin staining, and periodic acid-schiff staining. The effects were further evaluated by serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>High-dose JXR significantly reduced FBG and HbA1c level at the 8th week of administration (P<0.01, P<0.05). JXR significantly increased insulin level (P<0.05), and decreased glucagon level (P<0.05). JXR showed the antioxidant defense with increased SOD activity and decreased MDA contents in diabetic rats. Histopathological studies revealed that there were no basement membrane thickening and mild destruction in the treated groups. Morphometric measurements of retina microvascular showed that acellular capillary and capillary density decreased in treated rats while pericyte and endothelial cell increasing after the treatment.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>JXR have protective effect of diabetic retinopathy and its mechanism may be associated with the obvious hypoglycemic and antioxidant effect.</p>

Finite element modeling of proximal femur and element size analysis based on CT images / 医用生物力学

Objective To establish 5 different finite element models of the proximal femur based on CT images, and analyze the influences of element size on materials distribution and biomechanical behavior of the proximal femur model. Methods The proximal femur was scanned by spiral CT. The images, stored as DICOM format, were extracted by Mimics to obtain 3D geometric data, and then meshed separately by Mimics, 3-Matic and ICEM software to establa voxel element model, a tetrahedral element model and 3 hexahedral element model (with element size of 2, 1, 0.5 mm). These meshed models were assigned materials by Mimics, and their mechanical behavior was analyzed by Abaqus eventually. Results For the proximal femur model with material assignment based on CT images, the influence of element size on the total mass of all the 5 models was not significant. The nodal Mises stress and nodal displacement along the same path in 5 models showed a similar tendency, while the Mises stress at each node displayed an obvious deviation. The nodal Mises stress in the hexahedral element model with the element size of 0.5 mm showed accordance with the voxel element model. Conclusions The element size has a small influence on the total mass and nodal displacement when the material assignment is attributed to the model based on CT gray values, while decrease in the element size will affect the materials distributions and stress distributions of the model. When the element size of the proximal femur model is close to its voxel size, the mass distributions and mechanical behavior of the femur can be preferably reflected.

Numerical analysis on longitudinal flexibility of a NiTi coronary stent / 医用生物力学

Objective To analyze the relationship between structure characteristics and longitudinal flexibility of the self-designed NiTi coronary stents by using finite element method. Methods A new type of stent geometric model was designed with the CAD software Soildworks, and then the finite element stent model was established with Hypermesh, MATLAB and ABAQUS software. In ABAQUS, the angular displacement loads were applied on the stent in 9 bending directions within one structural cycle to maintain the stent in a pure bending state. Results The stent flexibility appeared no significant difference before the self-contact occurred, while it showed obvious anisotropy after the self-contact occurred. In addition, the bending deformation occurred under in-plane pure bending loads, accompanied with the out-of-plane deflection and torsion deformation around the axis. Conclusions The bending behavior of the stent is determined by its structural characteristics, and the stent always shows anisotropic flexibility due to its spiral arrangement of the connecting body and self-contact, which will provide a scientific guidance for clinical application of the stent.

NCoR negatively regulates adipogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells.

The nuclear receptor corepressor (NCoR) regulates the activities of gene transcription. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from bone marrow are multipotent cells which can differentiate into osteoblasts and adipocytes. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of NCoR on adipogenic differentiation of MSCs isolated from the rats. The results suggested that rat MSCs could differentiate into adipocytes successfully after cultured in adipogenic medium. NCoR protein determined by Western blot showed a lower expression in MSC-derived adipocytes, indicating that NCoR was involved in adipocyte differentiation of rat MSCs. It further proved that small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated knockdown of NCoR could promote cell viability and differentiation and enhance messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and protein expression of CCAAT/enhancer binding protein-α (C/EBPα) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ). However, over-expression of NCoR exerted its functions in contrary to NCoR knockdown. It indicated that NCoR could negatively regulate adipogenic differentiation of rat MSCs.

Immunization of BALB/c mice with Brucella abortus 2308DeltawbkA confers protection against wild-type infection

Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease that causes animal and human diseases. Vaccination is a major measure for prevention of brucellosis, but it is currently not possible to distinguish vaccinated animals from those that have been naturally infected. Therefore, in this study, we constructed the Brucella (B.) abortus 2380 wbkA mutant (2308DeltawbkA) and evaluated its virulence. The survival of 2308DeltawbkA was attenuated in murine macrophage (RAW 264.7) and BALB/c mice, and it induced high protective immunity in mice. The wbkA mutant elicited an anti-Brucella-specific immunoglobulin G response and induced the secretion of gamma interferon. Antibodies to 2308DeltawbkA could be detected in sera from mice, implying the potential for use of this protein as a diagnostic antigen. The WbkA antigen would allow serological differentiation between infected and vaccinated animals. These results suggest that 2308DeltawbkA is a potential attenuated vaccine against 16M. This vaccine will be further evaluated in sheep.

Finite element analysis on anterior and posterior internal fixation for treating type ⅡHangman’s fracture / 医用生物力学

Objective To evaluate biomechanical differences between anterior titanium plate internal fixation and posterior pedicle screw internal fixation for treating type Ⅱ unstable Hangman’s fracture by finite element analysis. Methods An intact finite element model of the upper cervical spine (C0-3) was established and validated, and an unstable model was also established. Two different internal fixation models, i.e. anterior titanium plate+Cage with bone graft (Plate+Cage) and C2 pedicle screws+C3 lateral mass screws (C2PS+C3LMS) were established, respectively, based on the unstable model. The vertical load of 40 N was applied on the occiput to simulate head weight and 1.5 N•m torque was applied on the occiput to simulate loading conditions of flexion, extension, lateral bending and rotation. Range of motion (ROM) of C2-3, force pathway and strain at the fractured line were calculated and analyzed. ResultsCompared with the unstable model, the Plate+Cage model could decrease the ROM by 92.4%, 97.1%, 96.5% and 90.0%, while the C2PS+C3LMS model could decrease the ROM by 88.6%, 90.2%, 95.7% and 90.3%, in flexion, extension, lateral bending and axial rotation, respectively. The maximum stress of the Plate+Cage model was smaller than that of the C2PS+C3LMS model under 4 loading conditions. Conclusions The anterior Plate+Cage fixation possesses better stability than the posterior C2PS+C3LMS fixation in flexion and extension, while both fixation methods show similar stability in lateral bending and axial rotation. The anterior Plate+Cage fixation is more reasonable in structure and stress distributions, and can achieve reduction, decompression, fixation and fusion in one step, thus it is an effective operative procedure for treating typeⅡ Hangman’s fracture.

Single-stage surgical repair of a complex pathology in Williams syndrome.

Williams syndrome is caused by a gene deletion of chromosome 7. A majority of the cases are sporadic with typical facial appearance, cardiac anomalies, and mental retardation. We report a rare case of Williams syndrome associated with supravalvular aortic stenosis, subvalvular aortic membrane, mitral regurgitation, aortic coarctation, and patent ductus arteriosus. The patient had undergone a single-stage surgical repair with satisfactory results at 5 months of follow-up.

Sonographic features of focal Hashimoto's thyroiditis / 中国医学科学院学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the diagnostic values of gray-scale and color Doppler ultrasound in the diagnosis of focal Hashimoto's thyroiditis (FHT).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The gray-scale and colour Doppler ultrasound data of 120 patients with histopathologically confirmed FHT were retrospectively studied. The background of thyroid parenchyma was subjectively evaluated as absence or presence of diffuse Hashimoto's thyroiditis. The vascular types of thyroid nodules were determined as follows: hypovascularity, marked internal flow, marked peripheral flow, and focal thyroid inferno.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Among all 120 nodules, 71 (59.2%) were located in normal thyroid parenchyma, 49 (40.8%) in the background of diffuse Hashimoto's thyroiditis. In the normal thyroid background, hypoechoic nodules accounted for 85.9% (61/71), and only 14.1% (10/71)nodules were isoechoic or hyperechoic. However, in the background of diffuse Hashimoto's thyroiditis, 40.8% were hypoechoic and 59.2% were isoechoic or hyperechoic. The difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). In terms of the vascular types, the hypovascularity, marked internal flow, marked peripheral flow, and focal thyroid inferno accounted for 45 %, 25.9%, 20.8%, and 8.3%, respectively.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The "focal inferno" is a relative specific color Doppler feature of FHT.</p>

Case-control study on close manipulative reduction combined with minimally invasive percutaneous plate fixation for the treatment of proximal humeral fractures / 中国骨伤

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To compare the clinical effects of close manipulative reduction combined with minimally invasive percutaneous plate fixation(MIPPO) and conventional open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) for the treatment of proximal humerus fractures.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>From April 2008 to March 2013, among the 75 patients with fractures of proximal humerus, 26 patients were male and 49 patients were female, ranging in age from 22 to 80 years; 18 patients had injuries caused by traffic accident and 57 patients had injuries caused by falling down. According to Neer classification, there were 49 cases of two-part fractures and 26 cases of three-part fractures. All the patients were divided into two groups: MIPPO group and ORIF group. There were 12 males and 21 females in the MIPPO group,including 22 cases of Neer two parts and 11 cases of Neer three parts, who were treated with close manipulative reduction combined with MIPPO. While the other 42 patients were in the ORIF group,including 16 males and 26 females. Among those patients,27 cases belonged to Neer two parts and 15 cases of Neer three parts, who were treated with ORIF. Length of the incision, blood loss, operating time, early postoperative pain(recorded by VAS), neck-shaft angle of proximal humerus and postoperative function of shoulder(recorded by Constant-Murley score, including pain, function, ROM and muscle length) were compared.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The mean lengths of incision were (6.74 +/- 0.38) cm in MIPPO group and (16.82 +/- 1.74) cm in ORIF group;blood losses were (110.15 +/- 29.49) ml in MIPPO group and (326.19 +/- 59.71) ml in ORIF group; operation times were (48.60 +/- 10.18) min in MIPPO group and (68.84-16.22) min in ORIF group. VAS of patients in MIPPO group on the 1st and 3rd days postoperatively were lower than those of patients in the ORIF group. The postoperative radiographs verified good position of all screws and satisfactory reduction of bone fracture reduction in both groups. All the patients were followed up,and the durig ranged from 8 to 24 months (mean 14.2 months). In the MIPPO group, there was no humeral head necrosis and all patients gained bone union; while in the ORIF group, 3 patients sustained nonunion and received reoperation for bone grafting, and 2 patients sustained humeral head necrosis. The mean Constant-Murley scores of shoulder were 88.94 +/- 2.57 in the MIPPO group and 86.00 +/- 3.36 in the ORIF group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The close manipulative reduction combined with MIPPO is a better choice for fixation of proximal humerus fractures, compared with conventional plate. This method possesses such advantages as a shorter incision, less disturbance of the blood supply and stable fixation of the fracture, allowing early exercise so that the function of shoulder recovers rapidly.</p>